Azerbaijan’s Key Railway Project in Liberated Lands 60% Complete

Azerbaijan is marching ahead with the restoration of transport infrastructure in the liberated territories, including the Horadiz-Aghband railway line.

All project work related to the 110.4 km Horadiz-Aghband railway line is final, bringing the construction progress to 60 percent.

“The construction of the first tunnel along this line has been completed, while excavation work (is) ongoing for the second,” Rovshan Rustamov, the Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways, highlighted.

Azerbaijan is actively restoring the vital Horadiz-Aghband railroad since the conflict ended in the country’s Karabakh (Garabagh) region. The rail line stretches from the Horadiz station in the Fuzuli district to the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border in the Zangilan district. It forms an integral part of the Zangezur corridor.

The Zangezur corridor is expected to restore the connection between Azerbaijan’s mainland with its southwestern exclave of Nakhchivan, with a further spur into the Turkish market. This multimodal transport artery is one of the biggest construction projects of its kind in the South Caucasus, and it is estimated to result in several economic benefits for the region.

Azerbaijani authorities are convinced that regional transportation projects, such as the Zangezur corridor, could foster peace and cooperation and create new business opportunities.

According to some analysts, the corridor will form an essential link in the East-West and North-South transport corridors to benefit all regional countries. It will contribute to the Eurasian trade and transport communications that incorporate the regional economies with a nominal GDP of $1.1 trillion.

Türkiye recently revealed plans for the construction of a railway connecting to the border with Nakhchivan. According to the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the Kars-Igdir-Aralik-Diluju railway project will span 224 km, with five stations on its route. It aims to transport 5.5 million passengers and 2 million tons of cargo annually.

Following the 2020 Second Karabakh War, Azerbaijan and Armenia initially agreed to unblock transport links, particularly direct route between Azerbaijan’s mainland and its Nakhchivan region via Armenia. The agreement aimed to enable international transport through the countries’ domestic infrastructure and foster regional connectivity.

Central to this agreement was the Zangezur corridor. Before the First Karabakh War (1991-1994), a railway connected Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, to Nakhchivan. However, this crucial route was destroyed during the occupation of Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli, Jabrayil, and Zangilan districts by Armenia.

Despite the initial agreement, Armenia later revoked its consent to open the Zangezur corridor. In response, Azerbaijan agreed with Iran to proceed with the construction of a multimodal route as an alternative.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed to remove the clause related to unblocking regional transport routes, including the Zangezur corridor project, from the peace deal currently under negotiation.

Elchin Amirbayov, Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan, said that this mutual agreement has eased ongoing negotiations, increasing the likelihood of a swift conclusion of the peace treaty.